On The Nature of Magic
by licensedtobuild
Summary: Beckett and Castle try and try. All it takes is one plus to change their lives forever. Slightly AU Caskett Family Fluff. T because I'm paranoid. Formerly "Hold On." Complete at 8 chapters.
1. Hope

"Any luck?" Rick asked through the locked door.

"Richard… If you ask me that again, I'm going to shove this thing down your throat. These take a few minutes." He leaned his head against the wall next to the bathroom door, and exhaled heavily, smiling slightly at his wife's snide remark. Kate didn't usually snap at him, if you could call that snapping, so he knew she was as nervous as he was.

"Two minutes, huh," he declared loudly.

"Castle..."

"Sorry, sorry," he said hurriedly, looking down at his watch. It had already been a minute, and he found his mind drifting. _Maybe Andrew. Yeah, that's a good strong name. Andrew Castle. Andy._ He jumped slightly as Kate sat next to him. He hadn't even noticed the door opening, but it didn't matter. He could tell from the tears in his wife's eyes that it didn't work.

"It's okay," he said quietly, taking her hand in his. "It's okay." The tears spilled over and Kate buried her face in his shoulder, allowing the sobbing to come. "It's okay, Kate. It'll happen, we just have to be patient." He stared at the pregnancy test in her hand, the blue minus a slash across their dreams, and found his eyes burning as well.

He knew from the moment that she had said yes that they would have a child, and the more they tried, the more excited he got.

It was the waiting, and the praying, and the hopes being constantly crushed that was beginning to get to them. He knew Kate was already losing hope of ever having her own child, and he couldn't do anything but keep trying. Just as he was about to say that to Kate, his phone rang suddenly, drawing him out of baby drama.

"Castle," he answered hoarsely. "Right, right, I forgot. Hang on a second." He put a hand over the phone. "It's Madden night." Kate nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Go. It's your night. Have fun with the boys, but don't be too loud when you come home."

"See you in twenty." He dropped his phone to the carpet and pressed a kiss to Kate's forehead. "I love you Kate," he whispered. "It will happen. I promise. It'll just take some time." Kate nodded against him, and he stood. "I love you."

X

The loft was dark and silent by the time Rick got home. He slid his jacket off and on to the hook by the door, tucked his shoes under it, and stepped quietly up the stairs, making sure to avoid. His mind was still racing; what would happen if he couldn't get Kate pregnant. Would they adopt, or use medical help, or just remain childless, praying for a miracle that would never come?

Rick puttered around the bathroom for a little while, brushing his teeth and going about his nightly routine. For a minute he rested both hands on the counter and closed his eyes. Immediately, a little boy appeared in his mind's eye, seated on the counter next to the sink. He had the exact same brown hair and eyes as Kate, but he had Rick's goofy grin.

"Daddy!" The boy squealed happily. "Daddy!"

"Rick?" Rick bit back a shriek as his head jerked upright. Kate was standing in the doorway, hair pulled back into a low ponytail. "I wasn't expecting you home this early," Kate muttered thickly., and Rick let out a gasp of relief before pulling her into a hug.

"I thought you were asleep, beautiful," he said into her hair. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, I just put my book down." He led her over to the bed and they both slipped in. Kate scooted over to him and rested her head over his heart. "Do you think it'll ever happen, Rick?"

"Yes." She looked up at him in surprise at his solid declaration. "Yes, it will. We are going to be parents someday. We just have to keep trying." He felt her nod into his chest, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you too, Kate. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

X

Twelve negative pregnancy tests later, Rick and Kate sat together against the counter, Kate holding the thirteenth hesitantly in her hands.

"You ready?" he asked and she looked up at him, brown eyes reflecting her nerves.

"I don't know if I can do this again." His face softened. "I don't know if I can deal with the heartbreak of another negative." Rick placed a finger under Kate's chin and tilted it up to his.

"This is it," he declared, a small grin on his face. "It's fate. Lucky number thirteen, you know." Kate closed her eyes as Rick kissed her lips tenderly. "For extra luck." He turned away as Kate unwrapped the pregnancy test and sat on the toilet. "Positive, positive, positive, positive, pos –"

"You are not helping." He laughed.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Good juju couldn't hurt." He took the pregnancy test from her extended hand, and stared at it intently, counting down in his mind the required 120 seconds until it gave its answer.

"Rick?" Kate asked, but he couldn't remove his eyes from the blue plus that gradually appeared on the test. "Rick, did it… am I…" Rick finally looked up at her, jaw hanging open in shock and flipped the test around so she could see it.

"Is that… did it work?" He nodded eagerly, dropping the test to the counter as he lifted her into his arms.

"You, Kate, are pregnant," he declared, setting her down as he kissed her hungrily. "We are having a baby." She nodded at him and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We're having a baby, Rick." She let out a wet chuckle and wrapped her arms around his waist again.

"You know what?" Rick said suddenly, causing Kate to look up at him in shock. "I'm feeling like a celebratory hot fudge sundae is in order. Or maybe a milkshake. What do you think?" Kate smiled gratefully.

"Sounds good to me."


	2. I'm Sorry, What?

Rick woke to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom, but luckily, he had prepared for such a case of morning sickness, or three in the morning sickness as the case was. The drawer in his bedside table was stocked with a box of crackers and a few bottles of water. He heaved himself out of bed, grabbed a package of crackers and a bottle of water, and cautiously stuck his head into the bathroom. Kate was sitting on the floor, her forehead resting on the toilet seat.

"Here," he said, offering a cracker and the water bottle as he sat against the wall next to her and flushed the toilet. "Just something to settle your stomach a bit. I'll run out and grab some more stuff later." Kate sat up slowly and scooted next to him.

"Richard Castle," she sighed, "how did I get so lucky?" She took a hesitant bite of the cracker, washing down with a tiny sip of water.

"I thought I was supposed to ask you that." He watched her for a few seconds. "Better?" She nodded and finished the rest of the cracker before resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." Her head turned and he found himself staring into her enchanting eyes. "For this. For you being sick." He grabbed a washcloth from the counter and wiped it across her forehead and neck, reveling in the moan that he got in return.

"Don't be, Rick. Small price to pay." Rick combed a hand through her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"You good?" She nodded against him. "Bed?" Another nod, and he let her push herself upright off his shoulder. "Do you want anything in particular from the grocery store? Anything to help with the nausea?" They settled back in bed together, and Rick wrapped his arms aroud

"Not really. The cracker really helped, though. Thank you." Rick sighed, smiling slightly and kissing her head.

"I really must be the most wonderful husband." He winced as she slapped lazily at his shoulder. "Go back to sleep. We've got the ultrasound at noon." They were silent for a while, and just as Rick was starting to doze off, Kate spoke.

"Girl or boy?" She rolled over to face him. For once, he didn't have a response.

"I really haven't thought about it," he finally answered, running a hand over her slight baby bump. "I'm thinking… ten fingers, ten toes and healthy. What about you?"

"I think I agree, but I always wanted a daughter. A big heartbreaker, you know?"

"Oh, definitely. Especially with your genes." Kate smiled sheepishly. "And my ruggedly good looks." Kate cocked an eyebrow.

"Rugged good looks?" Rick nodded. "For our little girl?" Rick paused for a second before smiling and kissing her gently.

"Go to sleep, beautiful. We'll get a look at our goober in a few hours." She rolled back over and allowed Rick to engulf her in his arms, a large hand on her stomach. "I love you, Rick."

"I love you too, dearest."

X

"Rick, stop twitching. Everything's going to be fine."

"I can't help that I'm excited! We get to see the little goober in a few minutes."

"Will you stop calling our child a goober? You're making her sound like a peanut." Rick froze.

"Her?"

"Well, I can't call our child 'it' in good conscious, can I?" He nodded in agreement.

"Mr. and Mrs. Castle?" Rick leapt to his feet at the sight of the nurse standing in front of them. "I'm Julia, and I'll be performing your ultrasound today. Come on back with me." Kate wove her fingers in between Rick's, and they walked together back into the ultrasound room. "Take a seat on the table, Mrs. Castle, and we'll get started." Rick never once let go of Kate's hand as she leaned back and lifted her shirt up. He stood next to her head, running his free hand through her hair.

"You are spectacular, Kate, and I love you so much." Kate looked up at him and squeezed his hand.

"Alright, this'll be cold," Julia interjected, squirting the ultrasound gel onto Kate's stomach and running the sensor over her lower abs.

"Everything is going to be perfect," Rick whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind Kate's ear. "We get to see our little goober –" he yelped as Kate swatted him, "okay, our baby in a few seconds."

"You can see right now," Julia said, tugging them away from each other. She gestured to a pulsing grey blotch on the screen. "There's the heartbeat." Rick felt his eyes burning immediately at the sight of his child's rapidly beating heart.

"Oh, wow," he exhaled, turning to Kate. "A heartbeat." Kate nodded, allowing Rick to wipe the tears from her cheeks before she placed a hand on his face.

"God, you're such a girl," she replied hoarsely, chuckling at the tear that finally dripped down his face. "She's real."

"Hang on," Julia murmured, and Rick turned to see her staring intently at the screen. Immediately, his heart dropped to his feet.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?" Kate clenched tighter onto his hand, but Julia shook her head.

"Here's the heartbeat." She touched the screen at the flashing blotch before adjusting the sensor. The blotch disappeared before popping back up on the right of the screen. "Here's another heartbeat."

"A… _another_ heartbeat? Two?" Kate whispered, and Julia nodded with a smile.

"Congratulations. You're having twins." Rick felt his legs quiver as he sank back into the chair next to Kate. "I'll… leave you alone to process this." The door clicked closed behind Julia as she left, and Rick let himself really focus on what just happened.

"Twins, Kate," he said, turning to see her chewing on her bottom lip. "Hey. Twice the fun?" Kate let out a sharp laugh.

"Twice the fun, indeed, Mr. Castle." She sighed, and Rick pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "We're having twins, Rick." He nodded, and, to his relief, Kate's face broke into a grin that he swore outshone the sun.

"Come on." He grabbed a paper towel and wiped the gel from her stomach. "I think we have some celebrating to do."

X

Rick and Kate sat across from each other in a booth at the café across the street from the clinic, sharing a basket of fries as they waited for their burgers. Occasionally, their fingers brushed against each other in the basket, and despite being married for nearly five years, Rick still felt a jolt up his spine. He found himself grinning at Kate across the table from him, his mind jumping to the two of them, cuddled together, each holding one of the twins, the four of them on the playground, the twins going to kindergarten, graduating from high school –

"Rick, what're you thinking about?" He grinned as he dipped a fry in the ketchup. "You've got that look on your face, like you're writing a scene in your head."

"You." Kate rolled her eyes at him, but not without him noticing her smile.

"You're such a girl sometimes."

"Fine, I was thinking about the four of us." Kate smiled. "You, me, and our twins. They are going to be two extraordinary individuals. They are going to do so many spectacular things with their lives."

"How do you know, Rick? What if something happens?" He sighed and took her hand in the fry basket.

"Because you, Katherine Beckett, are extraordinary. And our twins are going to be _amazing_." Kate shook her head at him, unable to hide the blush and grin that crept across her face.

"You sure have a way with words, Rick."


	3. Surprise!

As much as he loved showers, especially showers that involved him, Kate, and a whole lot of steam, Rick found himself shoved out of the shower, still dripping with shampoo bubbles, and sent in search of steak, grape juice and ice cream. As he donned a pair of well-worn jeans and wiped the soap out of his ear, his phone began to ring.

"Alexis! How are you, pumpkin?"

"I'm good, Dad. How are you?"

"Good. Kate's just sent me out for groceries."

"Of course she has." His daughter paused. "I've got three days off from school this weekend. You wanna maybe get together for dinner? I've got some stuff I need your advice on."

"Of course, sweetheart." Rick ran a hand through his hair, shaking droplets of water onto the carpet. "Kate and I actually have something we want to talk to you about too. Where you thinking dinner out or at home?"

"Oh, why not at home? That'd be easier for you, and that way Kate can join us. Can you do Saturday?" Rick stuck his head briefly in the bathroom where Kate was combing her thick hair.

"Hey, sweetheart. You wanna do dinner with Alexis here on Saturday?" he asked.

"Sure, that sounds great. Are we going to tell her about -" she gestured to her stomach and Rick nodded.

"Saturday sounds great, Alexis. We'll be home all day, so just give a call when you're close. Love you." He dropped the phone onto the counter and pressed his lips against Kate. "I love you, Mama Bear," he whispered against her, but she pulled away from him and whacked him on the shoulder.

"That's new."

"Not a fan?" She rolled her eyes. "How about..."

"How about Kate?" He shook his head.

"You are so boring."

"And you are supposed to be bringing ice cream. Don't make me punish you for being a bad boy." A shiver jolted down Rick's spine, and he put his lips to her ear.

"Don't tempt me, or you'll never get your sweets." He kissed her temple before kneeling in front of her and kissing her stomach. "Think you can wait a little while longer for your ice cream, goobers?" He yelped as Kate latched onto his ear. "Okay, okay! I'm going." As he walked through the doorway, he turned back, blew an overly theatrical kiss, and added, "Until we meet again, my cherry blossom."

X

"Oh my god, you're pregnant?" Alexis practically shrieked over her steak, causing Kate and Rick to both laugh. "That's fantastic!" Alexis jumped up from the table and quickly wrapped her arms around Kate. "Details, please?"

"Well, Alexis," Kate said, squeezing Rick's hand, "There's something else you should know." Alexis' face fell noticeably.

"Is something wrong with the baby?"

"No, sweetheart, everything's fine," Rick interjected. He glanced to Kate, who nodded, before adding, "We're having twins." Alexis broke out in an enormous ear-to-ear grin, reveling her perfect teeth.

"That's... wow."

"Wow doesn't even begin to cover it, Alexis," Kate added. "I about wanted to strangle your father when I found out." The smile on her face made Rick relax a bit.

"So I'm going to be an older sister. Wow. Not something many twenty-four year old law students can say." She paused for a second. "When?"

"The doctors said mid-November, but that twins often come a little early, so who knows?" Rick grinned. "You said you had something you wanted to talk about?" Alexis's smile fell gradually.

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to Kate alone, Dad." Rick's heart dropped. "Sometimes you just need another girl's perspective on things. It's okay, Dad," she added, "It's nothing bad." Rick sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

"Of course, pumpkin. I'll be up in the office if you need anything. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and a kiss to Kate's cheek. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Kate thumped his shoulder gently, and he disappeared into his office.

_What does she need Kate's help with?_ Rick thought as he sat heavily in his office chair. The laptop was still open to a blank word document; he hadn't done much writing since they had found out that Kate was pregnant. The open drawer under the computer still held a worn-out book of baby names and a thick "Parenting for Dummies" that had both come from before Alexis was born. He really needed to write more. Gina was already getting on his case about the next book, even though the manuscript wasn't due until… _crap, the book is due when the twins are. _He didn't even have a plot to go off of. He had about six months to prepare for babies, write a novel, come up with names, write a novel, doctor's appointments, novel, sleepless nights, novel. The next few months were going to be long.

Something had to come from that brain of his. Anything, _anything_ at all. RIck put his fingers to the keyboard and started typing everything that popped into his head, refusing to look up from the screen until something stopped him. He reveled in the cool plastic of the keys, the rhythmic clicking coming from the keyboard, and the buzz in his brain; he was writing again, and _damn_ it felt good.

"Rick." He looked up to see Kate leaning against his doorway.

"Hey, is Alexis good?" He gently pushed the laptop closed, not even bother to read the few pages that he had written. Kate nodded.

"Yeah, just some law school stuff she has to work out." Rick came over to the doorway and tugged Kate into his arms, feeling her baby bump pressing against his abs.

"I love you, Kate," he murmured into her hair. "Thank you for looking after her."

"I love you, Rick, but hey." Kate pulled back, eyebrows furrowing against the smile on her face. "She's my stepdaughter, and I love her too. I'll be there for her, no matter what." Rick's chest tightened and he claimed her lips for a deep, gut-burning kiss.

He pulled away just enough to whisper against her, "How did I get so lucky?"

"Must be your boyish charm and rapier wit."

"What are you two doing in there?" Alexis shouted from the kitchen. "Nothing that'll scar me for life, I hope." Rick could hear the joke in her voice as he and Kate walked out of the office.

"Now, Alexis, we all know that any life scarring would have been committed when you were younger." Alexis let out a sharp laugh right as her phone rang.

"Hello? Yeah, I'll be there in ten minutes." She dropped the phone into her purse and slipped on her sneakers. "Sorry, I've got to run." She wrapped her arms around Rick. "Thanks for dinner, Dad."

"No problem, sweetheart. Come over any time." She nodded before moving to Kate. The two women hugged for a while, Alexis's chin resting on Kate's shoulder. She whispered something into Kate's ear that Rick didn't hear, but Kate nodded.

"You know where to find me, sweetheart." Alexis pulled away and quickly darted out the door, leaving Rick and Kate to stand together in the kitchen.

"'_You know where to find me?'_" Rick asked, turning to look at Kate, who quirked an eyebrow at him before walking over to the sink. She had her hands in the sink, scrubbing down the dirty dishes, by the time Rick sat down at the counter. "Do I need to get you a bat signal? Oh, I've got it! It could be a coffee mug!" Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Oh come on! Gates could shine the light instead of calling you."

"Rick, I'm not Batman."

"It sure feels like it sometimes." Rick felt his heart aching at the admittance, and jumped as a plate clanked back into the sink. He looked up from the counter to find Kate staring at him, eyes wide and jaw hanging loose. "Come on, you're totally a superhero. You've saved my life more times than I can count, you love my daughter like she was your own, you are carrying my child and you love me. You're totally a superhero." Suddenly, Kate's mouth was on his, her wet hands combing into his hair. How she had gotten around the counter so quickly was completely beyond him, but he didn't care. The mother of his twins and the love of his life was a freaking superhero.


	4. Discovery

"You guys ready to see what gender your babies are?" Rick could feel his heart thumping erratically against his ribs as he fought to keep his excitement under control. He was sure that he positively vibrated under the strain, and Kate looked up at him, rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Rick, do you need to leave the room?" she drawled, squeezing his hand. The ultrasound technician grinned at the near-shout that erupted from Rick's mouth.

"No!" He sucked in a breath. "Can we find out?" Kate nodded in agreement as the technician swiped the wand over her stomach. A little figure appeared on the screen, and Rick could see five fingers stuck out in a wave.

"Here's the first one."

"Wow," Rick exhaled. The kid was already mugging for the camera, just like him.

"This one's a girl." The tech shifted the wand around a bit before finding the other twin curled below the first. "So is this one."

"Two girls?" Rick asked. The ultrasound technician nodded with a smile.

"Two girls who, by the looks of things, are perfectly healthy. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Castle." She lifted the ultrasound wand from Kate's well-distended stomach and grabbed a towel to wipe the gel off. "The second one is breeched, so I'm going to have Dr. Durham come talk to you about delivery options."

"Delivery options?" Rick could see the fear in Kate's eyes, and quickly covered the hand that was resting on her stomach with his.

"Everything's going to be okay, Kate," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "Aren't C-sections supposed to be super-safe? Plus you get all the good drugs," he added with a nervous grin. Kate let out a heavy exhale. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She shook her head. "You can talk to me, Kate. I'm in this for the long haul. I'll listen."

"The last time I had surgery…" Kate sucked in a breath. "The last time I had surgery, I nearly died. I don't know if I could do it again, go in under the knife and risk that." Rick's heart dropped to somewhere between his big toes. How had he not realized that?

"Kate–"

"Don't, Castle." Uh oh. Last name. "Don't tell me it's okay to be scared. Don't tell me that every mom-to-be gets scared. I know that. Of course I know that. Not every mom had to have her chest cracked and a bullet pulled from her heart." She turned away from him, the hand he wasn't clinging to rubbing at her eyes.

"Katherine Beckett, you listen to me. The doctors know exactly what they're doing. You'll be awake the entire time, and I'll be there to hold your hand and make sure you're okay. I promise. Every surgery has risks, but you're not going to go into anything alone. I'll be right there, pulling your pigtails the entire time, whether you want me or not." Kate smiled gratefully up at him, and scrubbed at her eyes.

"Damn pregnancy hormones," she croaked, and Rick leaned down to kiss her nose.

"I love you, Kate." Kate nodded as he stroked a hand through her hair. "I will always love you and our little girls, no matter what." She nodded again.

X

"We are not naming our daughters Agatha and Christie."

"Come on, Kate. She is one of the greatest novelists ever! It would –"

"No, Rick." Kate exhaled and leaned back heavily on the couch as Rick closed and locked the front door. "I don't want them to constantly live under the shadow of someone else. They need to be able to find their own places in the world."

"I know, Kate. It was kind of a joke." He opened the fridge and snagged the pitcher of orange juice. "You want a glass of juice?"

"Sure. Oh, do we have any more of the snickerdoodles that Alexis made?" Rick grabbed the plate of cookies on the counter and poured two glasses of juice. "Oh, you perfect man," she exhaled as he handed her the plate of cookies.

"I know you're carrying the future writers slash supercops in there, but can't we share the couch?" He raised an eyebrow, and she grudgingly lifted her feet so he could slide under them. He immediately began to knead the muscle with his strong fingers, and she let out a groan of pleasure. "See, Kate? This is why we share things." Kate shook her head at him and closed her eyes.

"Still, no Agatha and Christie."

"Well, fine then, Detective," Rick sighed, fingers still massaging the muscles of her left foot. "What are your ideas?"  
>"How about Margaux? I always liked the sound of it." She opened one eye as Rick tilted his head side to side.<p>

"I don't know. Margaux Castle… Margaux," he drawled, testing out the different ways of saying her name. "Something about it just doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I just… you know how some names sound right, like yours?

'Kate Beckett' sounds, you know? Just the right balance of vowels and consonants." Kate nodded. "We need to find names that sound right." He grimaced. "Does that make any sense whatsoever?"

"Yeah, I get it." Kate leaned back and sucked in a deep breath. "Emily?"

"Hm, possibly. Frances?"

"Rick…"

"Sofia?" He nearly yelped as Kate jerked upright.

"Sofia Rose Castle," she declared, and Rick felt his face burning with delight. "It's perfect!" She bent forward to kiss his cheek. "Sofia Rose," she murmured, running a hand across her stomach. "I love it."

"What about the other one? We can't just have Sofia Rose and 'Baby Castle,'" Rick added. "Any ideas?"

"Julianne?" Rick shook his head. "Miranda?"

"Oh, maybe." He nodded. "Yeah, that's definitely a possibility."

"Carrie?" Rick narrowed his eyes at her.

"Really?"

"Why? What's wrong with –"

"Pig's blood," Rick interjected and Kate felt her stomach twist.

"Yeah, definitely not." She sighed and heaved her feet from Rick's lap. "Maybe we should sleep on it." She turned toward the bedroom and disappeared through the door, leaving Rick on the couch. He let his head roll backwards, groaning at the popping vertebrae. Why was it so hard to name a baby? He had done it dozens of times for characters. Why couldn't he come up with a good Castle-esque name?

"Rick?" He jumped and turned to face Kate who was standing at the base of the stairs. "I meant together." It took him a second to realize what she meant before he leapt off the couch and had his lips pressed to hers.

"Gladly," he whispered, before leading her to the bed. They both collapsed on it, not even bothering with the thick down comforter, and rolled to face each other.

"You're not going to sleep, are you, writer-man?" Kate asked with a smile after a few minutes of them staring at each other.

"You're not either," he countered. "You can't really blame me, can you? Lying in bed with the extraordinary mother of my daughters, trying to come up with names? Nah, I'm not going to sleep." Kate scooted forward until she was close enough to kiss his nose. "See, it'd be easier if one was a boy." Kate's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why, dare I ask?"

"Well, we would obviously name him after a brave and noble man, and I know just the guy." He smiled proudly and Kate tapped his forehead with the backs of her fingers.

"We would not name our son after you. You said it yourself, the kids need to find their own identity." Rick's grin grew. "What?"

"I was thinking we would name our son James, after his grandfather." Kate's face immediately relaxed and he could see the telltale glimmer of tears in her eyes. "God only knows we don't need another Richard Castle running around here." Kate chuckled weakly, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"Thanks, Rick. That's really sweet."

"Makes you want me even more, right?" Rick added, just to diffuse the emotion. Kate rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I just wish Martha and my dad could be here to see their grandbabies." Rick felt his heart squeeze in his chest momentarily before he exhaled heavily, his eyes falling shut.

"Me too. My mother would totally be all victorious about it too. She always knew that you and I would have kids someday." He opened his eyes to see Kate staring at him, her jaw open in surprise. "Of course she knew that we'd end up together. I've –"

"Victoria Castle," Kate declared, and Rick felt his eyes widen in shock.

"It's… flawless. Victoria Castle. Good balance of sounds, not too similar sounding. Torie Castle works, too. Katherine Beckett, by Jove, you're brilliant." Rick could feel his heart racing. "And Emily would totally work as a middle name. Victoria Emily Castle and Sofia Rose Castle." He ran a hand down Kate's cheek, thumb stroking the taut muscles of her ear-to-ear grin. "Our baby girls."

"Now can we sleep?" Rick laughed and allowed Kate to rest her head on his chest.

"I love you, Kate Beckett."

"I love you too, Richard Castle."


	5. Bienvenue

As much as Richard Castle loved writing, he hated meetings, especially meetings that involved Paula, Gina and a manuscript that was due in under two weeks. Unfortunately for Rick, said manuscript was less than half-finished and he wasn't expecting it to be finished any time soon. He had spent most of the last three months since he had found out Kate was pregnant with two girls working like a dog to prepare for their arrival. Parenting books lay strewn around his office along with stacks of baby clothes, shoes, toys and diapers. Alexis had even helped him to build two very nice cribs in the master bedroom that were now decorated with pale green and yellow blankets.

"Richard, are you even paying attention to any of this?" Gina snapped, yanking Rick from his thoughts. "Your manuscript is due in two weeks. I haven't seen a single draft from you, and from the looks of things, you just don't even care anymore." He let out a heavy sigh, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've been otherwise occupied, if you must know. I'm sure you remember that my wife is pregnant with twin girls, and is due in about a month, so I've been a bit preoccupied with making sure that she's comfortable at home, as well as preparing to bring two new lives into this world. I'm sorry that my family has affected my work schedule, but there's nothing I can do, nor is there anything I wish to do. I'm having twins, and I'm damn sure going to bring them into a safe, loving and protecting home." Gina's face showed no evidence whatsoever that she had even heard what he just said.

"Richard, if I don't have that manuscript on my desk in two weeks, good luck getting it published when you do get around to finishing it."

"Thanks for the support, Gina," he responded coolly. "Remind me to bring the girls over some– Hang on," he paused to pull his ringing phone out of his jacket. "Since you don't really care anyway, Hi Alexis, I'm in a meet–"

"Kate's in labor!" Alexis shouted and Rick's jaw fell open. "We're in the towncar and we're on our way to the hospital."

"I'm on my way!" Rick leapt out of his seat, abandoning his jacket completely.

"Don't bother coming back without a manuscript," Gina's retreating voice shouted as he sprinted down the hallway.

"Alexis, call Dr. Durham. Tell him that Kate's in labor and will need an emergency C-section when you get there." Luckily he was able to hail a cab on the street without too much work. "The hospital, please. My wife's in labor."

X

"Ah, Mr. Castle, just in time," Dr. Durham declared kindly as Rick heaved open the door to the operating room. "We just got her anesthetized." Kate was lying on the operating table, Alexis squeezing her hand gently.

"Hey, Dad," Alexis said.

"About time you got here," Kate added with a smile. Alexis stood to allow Rick to sit in the chair she had been previously occupying,

"I'll be in the waiting room." Rick wrapped his arms around his daughter's stomach.

"Thank you, Alexis. You really are the perfect child."

"You can't say that anymore, Dad. Sofia and Torie aren't going to like it," Alexis joked before she disappeared through the door.

"Hey, Kate," Rick whispered, weaving his fingers between hers. "You doing okay?" She nodded, but Rick could see the nervous crinkle between her eyebrows. "How's being numb from the waist down?"

"I'm not sure. I can't exactly feel anything." Rick smiled and kissed her.

"We're having babies, Kate." She nodded again, this time with a smile blooming across her cheeks. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just… this is surreal, Rick." He turned to look at the sheet obscuring her stomach.

"You ready?" Dr. Durham asked, and they both nodded. "Alright, we're starting the incision." Kate's eyes shut immediately and Rick could hear the beeping of the heart rate monitor increasing.

"Hey, Kate. Look at me." She opened one eye. "You are perfect and everything is going to be just fine. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Sofia and Torie are going to be perfect. Okay?" She nodded and he kissed her knuckles.

"Tell me something, Rick."

"Like what?"

"Anything to take my mind off of the fact that they're currently cutting into me." Rick's brain buzzed with ideas.

"Nikki Heat?"

"No, something… real."

"Okay. Wedding?" She nodded. "I was so scared when I proposed to you. I thought for sure you could hear my heart racing and that you would say no, but to my surprise, and delight, you said yes. You wouldn't let me see the dress that you picked out. Admittedly, I was disappointed, but how could I say no to you?"

_"Oh, Kate," Lanie exhaled as Kate stepped out of the dressing room. "It's perfect." _

_ "Really?" Kate turned to face the mirror, allowing the ivory silk skirt of the dress to fan out behind her. _

_ "Absolutely! Can you not see yourself in that mirror?" Kate's cheeks flushed bright pink. The dress fit her like a glove; the fabric sheathed her trim waist and hips before flaring out into a beautifully simple skirt. The neckline dipped enough into a V to be intriguing, but not far enough to be revealing, but the back plunged deep enough that Kate was sure that Rick would be unable to keep his eyes off of her bare upper back. It was elegant, and utterly perfect. _

_ "Yeah?" she asked, turning to face her best friend. Lanie's eyes were swimming with tears. _

_ "Richard Castle is a lucky, lucky man to be marrying you."_

"I was sweating bullets up at the front before the music started. It was small, just our families and the guys from the precinct. My mom was sitting front and center, right next to an open seat, saved especially for your dad." Unfortunately, Kate's father and Rick's mother would both pass away within the year.

"You're forgetting Patterson and Connelly," Kate added and Rick smiled.

"Of course. How could I?" He paused to squeeze her hand. "I swear, my heart stopped the second you walked through that door with your dad."

_ Rick stood at the altar, flanked by his best men. He had to have two, since Ryan and Esposito had nearly started throwing punches about the matter. His suit was already feeling incredibly tight, and he fought the urge to loosen the black bowtie around his neck. _

_ "Shouldn't the music be starting soon?" He asked turning to face Ryan, the first of the three to be married. _

_ "Relax, Castle. It'll be okay," Ryan responded, placing a hand on Rick's shoulder and squeezing. "Everyone gets the jitters the day of."_

_ "I know," Rick declared, "I've already been married twice."_

_ "Third time's the charm."_

_ "Yeah, this better be it, bro," Esposito, the second to be married, added from Rick's other side. "Otherwise, we might have to exact some punishment." Rick chuckled as piano chords swelled from off to the side and the small audience stood to see the procession. Ryan and Jenny's four-year-old daughter, Sarah, led, tossing red rose petals and prancing up the aisle in a bright purple dress. She was followed immediately by Lanie and Esposito's three-year-old son, Jason, dressed in an adorable blue shirt and vest combination and carrying the pillow with the rings on it. Lanie and Jenny walked down the aisle after Jason, both looking exceptionally beautiful in their blue dresses. _

_ "They look extraordinary," Rick whispered over his shoulder. _

_ "That's nothing. Look," Esposito declared as Jim and Kate appeared in the doorway. _

_ "Oh my god," Rick exhaled, a broad grin exploding across his face. He had to blink a few times to make sure the woman staring back at him was real, and as she and her father walked towards him, he felt his knees shake. The dress was as perfect as he thought it would be, neckline plunging down to reveal her mother's ring around her neck, and her chestnut brown hair falling in waves down her back. "Oh my god," he repeated, his voice breaking pathetically as he brought a hand to his mouth. Damnit, he could feel the tears in his eyes as Jim stopped next to him._

_ "You take good care of her, Rick." He nodded, unable to speak behind the tears that were threatening to drip down his cheeks. Jim kissed his daughter's cheek before shaking Rick's hand. "Thank you," he added before sitting down next to Martha, who was openly weeping into a handkerchief. _

_ "You okay?" Kate asked, and Rick nodded, tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "You're crying already."_

_ "I know. I just…" Kate smiled at him. "You're perfect," he whispered. _

"I barely remember a word of what that woman said. All I could think about was the fact that the most angelic, perfect, extraordinary woman in the world was standing in front of me, and I was about to marry her." Rick brought his other hand to rest on hers. "I wouldn't change any of it. Not the proposal, not the wedding, not the twins, absolutely nothing. All of that, this, you… it's too perfect to even believe, Kate. I am the luckiest man in the world."

X

Kate fell asleep soon after arriving in the recovery room, leaving Rick to guard his daughters in their hospital incubator. They were so small, lying together on the little mattress in their matching blankets and hats. The only visible difference was a little square of tape on each hat, marking one daughter as "Twin A" and the other as "Twin B." He and Kate had decided that Twin B would be Sofia and Twin A would be Victoria, or Torie, as Alexis had dubbed her, but they hadn't prepared the birth certificate yet. Despite himself, Rick liked the nickname. It was short and sweet, much better than calling her "Vicky."

"Dad?" Rick turned to see Alexis in the doorway of the hospital room.

"Hey, pumpkin." He ran a hand through his hair. "Kate's asleep, but do you want to meet your sisters?" Alexis nodded eagerly, and followed him over to the incubator.

"Oh, wow," Alexis whispered. "They're so small."

"Yeah," Rick sighed, "but they're perfect, aren't they? Do you wanna hold one?" Alexis looked up at him in shock. "It's okay, sweetheart. Here," he gestured to the rocking chair which Alexis eagerly dropped into, and lifted Sofia from the incubator.

"Ohhhh…" Alexis sighed as Sofia let out a yawn. Rick carefully placed the baby into Alexis' waiting arms. "Hey, baby girl. Oh, you are too cute." Rick leaned over to kiss Alexis' cheek right as Sofia opened her eyes. He could feel his heart racing as the baby blinked up at them; she and her sister were completely and utterly perfect, just like Alexis was. Alexis reached up with her left hand to stroke the baby's smooth cheek, but Rick caught it reflexively.

"Alexis Harper Castle, what is on your finger?" The ring was simple, just a simple band with no jewels on it.

"Don't worry yet, Dad. It's from Andrew."

"Your boyfriend proposed?" No way. Kate had just delivered Torie and Sofia; Alexis could _not_ be getting married.

"It's a promise ring, Dad." Oh. He released her hand in relief. "Andrew and I both want to get through school and mature a bit more before anything happens. Believe me, I thought he was proposing too, but he told me that he loves me and that one day, he'll swap this ring out for something a little… grander." Alexis paused, fighting down the smile on her face. "He said that he is one day going to propose to me. He told me about all the dreams he had, of us in our apartment together, maybe one day, even having kids. But don't worry about any of that yet. He said that he knows that we both need to get through school and get settled into our lives first before any of that can happen, so it'll be a while."

"Wow," Rick exhaled. "I don't even… wow."

"That's what I wanted to talk to Kate about." Oh yeah, the secret meeting when they told her Kate was pregnant. "I asked Kate how she knew when the right time was to get married. I know it took you guys forever to finally take the leap, so I asked her how she knew she was ready."

"I take it my perfect wife gave you perfect advice?" Alexis nodded.

"I know I'm not ready to get married or have kids yet, but I will be, some day in the future." Rick wrapped an arm around Alexis and rested a hand under Sofia.

"You, my dear, are far wiser than I ever would have suspected a child of mine to become, and Andrew is a lucky man." Alexis sighed into his shoulder.

"It must have come from Gram." Rick snorted, and squeezed her tighter.

"I'm so proud of you, Alexis. I can't wait to walk you down the aisle and hold my grandbabies. Just… promise me something?"

"Sure, Dad."

"Don't grow up too quickly." Alexis nestled a little deeper into Rick's shirt.

"I'll do my best."


	6. Siempre

From the second Kate and Rick brought the twins home, Rick realized just how different identical twins could be. Torie was always louder, squawking and squealing to get attention, just like her father, but Sofia would remain quiet, hardly letting anyone know her needs, eerily resembling her mother.

Rick woke one night when the twins were about eighteen months old with a nagging in his brain. Something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Kate was still dead to the world; she lay on her stomach, cheek pressed to the pillow allowing her hair to curl around her head. The bed creaked a little as Rick stood and cracked his neck. Since he was up, he might as well have a midnight snack.

As he snuck out of the room, he heard a small sniffle coming from the twins' room next door. Kate had left the door cracked a bit after they tucked the girls in, leaving Rick the chance to push the door open silently. Usually, the twins slept through the night, but Rick could see a silhouette sitting up in one of the cribs.

"Da-da?" The small voice asked as Rick crept closer. He could see tear streaks glinting in the soft light from the nightlight.

"Hey, 'Fia," he whispered. "Did you have a bad dream?" The little girl nodded and reached her arms up to him. Sofia didn't usually say much, usually only saying "Da" to get someone's attention, but Rick had picked up on her gestures. He lifted her up from the bed easily and grabbed the stuffed dog she rarely went anywhere without. "Want a snack with Daddy?" Sofia wriggled a bit closer to him, a hand latching onto his shirt. Torie was still out cold, her thumb firmly embedded in her tiny mouth. "Come on, 'Fia." He shifted her so that she could sit on his arm, her cheek resting on his shoulder, and walked into the living room.

Torie would never be that clingy, even after a nightmare. She'd quiet pretty easily before Rick or Kate could lay her back down in bed. Sofia, on the other hand, quite enjoyed sitting on laps and being held. As Rick passed back and forth, Sofia twisted so that she could look through the large window at the lights from the city. Even at nearly three in the morning on a Wednesday, New York City was alive and kicking,

"It's pretty out there, huh, baby girl?" Sofia let out a sigh, her warm weight relaxing into Rick's t-shirt. Both of them let out yawns together and Rick chuckled. "I guess even nightmares can't keep you awake." He sat down on the couch and twisted so that he could lower himself and Sofia down to stretch out. Sofia's head popped up to look at him and he smiled, stroking her brown hair gently. It was a gesture he had done dozens of times before, except it was Kate with her head on his chest. Sofia's blue eyes blinked a few times at him before her head relaxed back on to his chest. Rick could feel one of her hands clenching and unclenching at his chest, a habit Alexis used to have; she liked to feel reassured that there was something there below her. Just like he did for Alexis, Rick rested his right hand on her back, using its weight to press Sofia ever so slightly into his chest.

"Da?"

"I'm right here, 'Fia. Everything's okay."

X

Rick woke in the morning to the sunrise behind the skyscrapers. He rubbed at his eyes, and groaned quietly; the sofa, while comfortable, was not meant for a grown man to sleep on. Sofia was still asleep on his chest and he sighed, stroking her back gently.

"Comfy, Rick?" Kate appeared over him, her upside-down face smiling down at him.

"She had a nightmare," he answered quietly. He shifted and stood upright carefully, keeping Sofia cradled against his chest. "Good morning, by the way," he added, bending down slightly to press his lips to Kate's. "Got a case?" Kate nodded.

"Dead John Doe. I've got to go, but I couldn't resist the two of you. Torie's still asleep, fyi."

"Like the dead."

"Like her old man." Kate grinned as Rick gasped in mock horror. "I love you, Rick."

"I'm offended," Rick scoffed, "but I love you too, so I'll let that 'old' comment slide. I might have to punish you later tonight, though," he growled into her ear, and Kate let out a shudder.

"I need to get to work. _You_ are not helping." She snagged the back of his neck and tugged him down to meet her in a kiss that sent a shockwave down his spine and made his knees quiver. "See you tonight." She was gone before Rick could even register what had happened. Only a sigh from the baby against his chest brought him back to reality.

"Your momma's pretty extraordinary," Rick murmured, adjusting Sofia so she was closer to his face.

"Da," Sofia answered, and Rick laughed.

"Atta girl." He set Sofia down on the floor and sat next to her, leaning against the counter. The muscles in his neck were still tight from the cramped night on the sofa. He usually didn't have to keep too close an eye on Sofia; she tended to stay relatively close to him or Kate, unlike Torie, who had a habit of getting into everything. As Rick twisted his neck from side to side, he could feel little fingers poking and grabbing at his shirt.

"Da?" Sofia climbed up onto Rick's legs and pawed her way up his shirt and into a standing position. "Hi." She put a hand on his forehead and patted it a few times.

"Hi, baby girl," Rick answered, before he puffed out his cheeks like a chipmunk and blew the air out at Sofia, making her giggle and plop back down on his lap.

"Da-da?" A voice asked from the bedroom. Rick sighed and picked Sofia up.

"Sounds like Torie's ready to –"

"DA-DA!" Torie screeched, causing Sofia to scowl.

"… wake up." Rick set Sofia down on the floor next to the toy box. "Wait right here, okay? I'll be right back." He turned and jogged over to the open door of the twins' room. Torie was standing up, little hands clinging to the bars of her crib. "Morning, monkey. You sure let everyone know what's up, don't you?" He hoisted her up out of the crib; immediately, she began to squawk, squirming in his arms and reaching for the floor. "Alright, alright." He let Torie down to the floor, and she immediately took off on her hands and knees toward the living room. It was going to be a long day.

X

By eight o'clock that night, Rick was seated in the overstuffed rocking chair, both girls perched on his lap. Kate still hadn't gotten home from the precinct yet, and he had no hopes of getting her back before midnight, leaving him to feed and bath the girls alone. Tucking them in was not easy to do without her. Torie had managed to fall asleep already, sucking weakly on her pacifier. Sofia was on her way out, but was trying to fight the undertow of exhaustion. Rick had tried everything he could think of to get her to fall asleep; he had read four storybooks, made up a story, rocked back and forth in silence and sung (turns out AC/DC might not have been a very good idea), but nothing had worked.

"It's okay, baby girl," he whispered. "Daddy's right here." He stood cautiously and lowered Torie and Sofia into each of their cribs. Sofia let out a quiet mewl in protest but Rick was quick to grab her pacifier and pop it in her mouth (he had managed to get the girls identical "Mute Button" pacifiers. Kate had merely rolled her eyes at him). He reached out and pressed his hand to her stomach. "Go to sleep, 'Fia. I'll be here." Her eyelids fell closed and the suckling on the pacifier slowed. "Atta girl." He bent down and kissed both Torie and Sofia's cheeks in turn before clicking the nightlight on and closing the door.

The apartment was blissfully quiet without Torie and Sofia squabbling over toys. Rick was exhausted from scrambling around after the girls, and his knees were protesting from the running. He poured himself a few fingers of scotch into a tumbler and sat heavily onto the couch. Where the hell was –

Right on cue, the door creaked open and Rick turned to see Kate shucking off her jacket and heels. Rick could see the exhaustion in her slouch and the hastily tied together ponytail. He stood and cleared his throat, making Kate jump in surprise.

"Hey," she murmured. "I thought you'd be in the office." Rick wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders and tugged her into his chest.

"I missed you. Did you solve it?"

"Yeah. John Doe's brother killed him over money." She exhaled, relaxing into Rick's chest just like Sofia had. "I had him in interrogation for four hours." Rick coaxed her over to the couch. "I'm really sorry I didn't call. It took _so_ long to break him. How're the girls?"

"They're good. Wore them out completely at the park today." He looked up to see her face downcast. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I should have been here." Rick's jaw fell open. "What kind of mother leaves her kids alone completely in favor of spending four hours in a room with a psychopath?" Rick placed a hand on her cheek.

"Hey, you brought a family justice today. You're working so hard to make sure that this world, this city we live in is safe for our girls."

"But I should have been there with you. What if something had happened today? What if –" Rick's hand immediately covered her mouth.

"Don't even start. You're out there doing something good. Tomorrow we can go for a nice long walk together. Don't even think about anything bad happening to you."

"You deserve better." The phrase was so quiet that Rick almost thought he misheard her.

"I have everything I could ever want and more. I didn't think it was even possible to be this happy." Tears started to drip down Kate's cheeks, but Rick ignored them, pulling Kate into an almost violent hug. "You are completely and utterly perfect, Kate. That's why I fell in love with you. So go, fight bad guys. I will always be here to tell you that I love you, from the top of your perfect head down to the soles of your perfect feet. I'll remind you every moment of every day, if that's what it'll take for you to believe me. Okay?" He kissed the tip of her nose. "Kate Beckett." Her forehead. "I will always love you." Her lips. "Always."


	7. Flutterbye

Torie started struggling with school when the twins reach first grade. The twins teacher had sent home a note with Torie, stating that she was falling behind in math and reading and recommending that Rick and Kate schedule some extra assistance with one of the tutors. Rick leapt on the duty, scheduling an appointment with a quiet high school kid named Max every Wednesday for two hours after school. Immediately, Rick noticed improvement when the girls were working on the workbook Kate had gotten for them; Torie got much better at reading almost immediately, even going so far as to help Sofia when she struggled.

Kate waited outside the school one Wednesday afternoon in April, a few months after Torie had started her tutoring, for Sofia to come out. Wednesday afternoons were usually Rick's one-on-one time with her, Torie getting Friday afternoons when Sofia had her karate lessons, but Rick had a publishing meeting he had to deal with, so Kate took the afternoon off to hang out with Sofia.

Right as the bell went off, the door to the school opened to reveal a mass of kids running out to meet their parents. Sofia was near the back, her purple shirt and rainbow headband easily distinguishable from the masses, but her face brightened immediately when she caught sight of Kate leaning against the fence.

"Hey, sweetheart." Kate knelt, allowing Sofia to hug her gently.

"Hi, Mommy. Where's Daddy?" Sofia's head popped up and she kissed Kate's cheek.

"Oh, Daddy had a meeting he had to go to, so I thought I'd come play with you today." The little girl nodded and grabbed Kate's hand. "Where to?"

"Can we go to the animal museum?" Kate strained to hear Sofia's quiet voice over the bustle of people as they walked down the sidewalk.

"It's been a long time since I've been to the museum," she answered, sticking out her free hand to wave down a cab. "I think that might be in order." She opens the door and lets Sofia slide in before sitting and closing the door. "The Natural History Museum, please."

X

Sofia never liked cabs very much. The men driving them always looked very angry, so she always cuddled up close to Daddy, holding his hand very tightly. Sitting in the cab with Mommy was a lot different. Daddy had very big hands, and Sofia couldn't quite grab all of his fingers. Mommy's hands were smaller, but when Sofia scooted closer, she put an arm around Sofia's shoulders, tugging her in close so she could hear Mommy's heartbeat through her soft sweater.

After a long time, Mommy handed the cab driver some money and opened the door, letting Sofia slide out onto the sidewalk. A whole family, a mommy and daddy and three tall boys, stood waiting at the crosswalk, and one of the boys waved at Sofia. She squeezed Mommy's hand tighter. There were too many people out; it was very loud on the street, and Sofia was scared of Mommy letting go of her hand by accident and getting lost.

The front of the museum was all draped in plastic; Daddy said that it was because they were fixing all the fancy stone, which was a really big project and would take a long time. Mommy led her in, showing a mustached man a plastic card that says "Members" on it. The man smiled at Sofia, and she waved at him (he looked kind of like Santa Claus without a beard).

"Where to first?" Mommy asked, holding a map out so Sofia could see it. Daddy's favorite exhibit was the Africa Mammals so Sofia pointed to the picture of the elephant on the map. Mommy nodded and they walked up a set of great big white steps, Mommy's heels clicking against each step. The whole building was much quieter than outside and Sofia even let go of Mommy's hand, following her up the stairs.

X

Sofia was always the quieter one, but Kate had never seen her as intensely focused as she was at the museum. The blue Castle eyes she had grown to adore stared intently at each and every exhibit, but the little girl remained completely silent.

"Your daughter is beautiful." Kate jumped as an older woman sat next to her, and felt her cheeks burn with pride.

"Thank you," she answered, watching the little girl carefully, not wanting to lose sight of her among the crowd.

"You guys ever been here before?"

"Yeah. She loves it here."

"You should totally take her to the butterfly exhibit. She'd love it." Kate smiled at the suggestion. Sofia turned towards the women at the mention of butterflies.

"That's brilliant. Thanks for the idea." Sofia scampered over to Kate, who lifted her up to sit on her lap. "Hey, baby girl."

"Hi Mommy." Sofia rested her head against Kate's shoulder, a hand fisting her sweater tightly. "Do you have any granola bars in your purse?" Uh oh. Snacks would have been a good thing to grab. Kate opened her bag and rooted around for a second before coming up with a chocolate chip peanut butter granola bar that Rick must have stuck in to make sure she ate at work. Sofia immediately opened it and popped a piece into her mouth. Maybe getting a bottle of water too before going to see the butterflies would be a good idea.

"Do you wanna go see the butterfly exhibit?" Sofia sat up on Kate's thighs and nodded shyly.

"Can I finish the granola bar first?" she asked cautiously, almost afraid of what Kate's answer would be. She ran a hand through Sofia's thick hair.

"Of course you can. We can stop and get a water bottle too before we see the butterflies." Sofia immediately took off her backpack and pulled out a small metal water bottle.

"Daddy always packs me and Torie a water bottle with our lunches." Kate's chest squeezed; of course her perfect husband would remember to keep his little girls well hydrated. "Do you want some? Mrs. Parker helped me refill it at the sink."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Kate unscrewed the cap and took a long gulp from the bottle before handing it back to Sofia, who took a much smaller sip. "Ready?" She screwed the cap back onto the bottle and dropped it into her purse. Sofia hopped up and grabbed her hand again, clinging tightly to two of Kate's long fingers right as her phone vibrated.

_Out of meeting early. Will pick up Torie from school. See you at home. xoRC._ Excellent, Torie would get some time with her dad after tutoring, and Kate wouldn't have to worry.

_Thanks. See you about 5ish. 3 K. _She dropped the phone back in her purse before standing, her knee popping from the sudden movement. Hopefully Rick would be able to get Torie to finish doing some of her math exercises before dinner.

"Mommy?"

"I'm coming, baby girl." She waved gently at the older woman still seated on the bench before walking hand-in-hand toward the butterfly exhibit. Sofia fell easily into step next to her, and Kate smiled, stopping at the end of the line to the exhibit. "Don't touch the butterflies when we get in there."

"I know, Mommy," Sofia answered. "Mrs. Parker said that it hurts their wings if people touch them. We've been talking about them this week at school." Oh. Well then.

"Well, what can you tell me about butterflies?" Kate asked.

"Mrs. Parker said that sometimes, animals look like other animals. Some snakes do it, and some kinds of butterflies do it. She said that non-poisonous animals look like poisonous animals so predators don't eat them, like the monarch butterfly and the… um… I can't remember the other one."

"Why don't you ask the butterfly lady if she knows?" Sofia shook her head, obviously too shy to answer. "It's okay, sweetheart. She's a teacher, too." Sofia looked up at Kate, who nodded, before letting go of her hand and walking up to the woman manning the door.

"'Scuse me," Sofia said. Rick had trained the girl to be very polite, something Kate was quite pleased with. "My teacher said there are two kinds of butterflies that look each other. One's the monarch butterfly, but I can't remember what the other one is." The woman smiled before snagging a laminated sheet of paper from the desk and kneeling next to Sofia so she could see the paper.

"See this one right here?" She pointed at the paper and Sofia nodded. "This is the viceroy butterfly. It's not poisonous but it looks like the monarch, which is poisonous."

"Thank you," Sofia responded before running back to rejoin Kate, who had moved up a bit. "She said it's the viceroy, which is the not-poisonous one." They stood together, Sofia rocking back and forth and swinging Kate's hand slightly. This was the most excitable and talkative version of Sofia Kate had seen in a long time, and she relished every minute of it.

By the time they made it through the door of the exhibit, Sofia was positively vibrating with excitement. The second the door creaked open, Sofia let out a gasp and immediately darted over to a bright red flower swarming with yellow butterflies.

"Mommy, look at these ones. They're so pretty." Kate caught Sofia's hand as she reached out.

"Don't touch, remember?" she chided gently, and the little hand went limp in Kate's grasp. "They'll come to you if they want to." Kate had been to a butterfly exhibit once before with Rick while they were still dating, and sitting perfectly still had been enough for Rick to get a small flock of butterflies to land on his bright red t-shirt. "If you stand perfectly still, maybe they'll come to you." The little girl nodded, not taking a step from her post in front of the red flower. Kate took a few steps back and sat on a wooden bench near the window.

About ten minutes later, Kate caught sight of a black butterfly perched on her daughter's shoulder.

"Hey, sweetheart," she called quietly. "Look in the mirror." The gasp Sofia let out was enough to make Kate's heart race. She grabbed her phone from her purse, not wanting the butterfly to depart from its perch. Sofia stared down the butterfly on her shoulder, a small smile on her face. "Don't touch him, baby girl." She snapped a picture quickly, sending it as a text with a teasing _See what you're missing?_ to Rick.

"Mommy, he's so pretty." Kate nodded, her grin matching Sofia's. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she flipped it open to a picture from Rick of Torie covered in flour in the middle of the kitchen with a chef's hat covering her eyes, Rick's caption of _Good thing you're not home ;) _across the bottom. She showed the picture to Sofia, who giggled. "They're making pizza, Mommy." Kate raised an eyebrow. "We made it a couple of weeks ago and barely got the mess cleaned up before you got home from work." Kate laughed, and rubbed Sofia's back.

"Why don't we head home and make sure Daddy doesn't burn the apartment down." Sofia nodded and grabbed Kate's outstretched hand.

"You don't want him to throw the dough either."

"Really? Why, dare I ask?" Sofia giggled. "What mischief did Daddy get up to last time?"

"He had to scrape dough off the ceiling with a spatula." Kate couldn't contain the belly laugh that burst free as they walked out of the exhibit.


	8. Action

Every Sunday night was family dinner night with the Castle's. With both girls so close by, it was a given that they would all convene at the loft once a week for dinner with Mom and Dad (Alexis had moved to Boston with Andrew when they had gotten married). Torie and Sofia would head down from school and they would feast on Chinese food, debating something either very pertinent to current events, or something completely arbitrary, like the Yankees versus the Red Sox.

Sofia was the first to arrive that week, dressed in faded jeans and a blue hoodie, her long brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She was quick to wrap her toned arms around Kate and pull her close.

"Hi, Mom." When they pulled apart, Sofia had a Cheshire Cat smile on her face.

"What's with the grin, 'Fia?" Kate asked as she led Sofia back to the kitchen. Sofia perched on one of the barstools and glanced over her shoulder, the grin slipping slightly.

"Where're Dad and Tor?"

"Your dad should be back any minute with dinner, and Tor texted that she would be here in about ten minutes." Kate poured a glass of apple cider and handed it to Sofia; the girl, for some reason Kate didn't entirely understand, refused to drink alcohol despite being over the legal age. "Why? What's up?" Sofia pulled an envelope from the pocket of her sweatshirt and handed it to Kate.

"I wanted you to be the first to know. Before you panic, just know that I did my research. I've wanted to do this ever since I was a kid. I want to do something good with my life." She nodded at Kate. "Go ahead. Open it." Kate flipped the envelope open and tugged out several sheets of folded paper.

The second she unfurled the papers, she saw an identical letterhead to one she had received thirty years earlier.

_Dear Ms. Castle, Congratulations and welcome to the New York City Police Department._

Oh my god. Sofia had taken the NYPD exam. Sofia Rose was going to become a cop. Oh my _god_. Kate skimmed the rest of the letter, knowing it almost by heart anyway, before her eyes came to rest on Commissioner Kelly's signature. She flipped to the next sheet of paper to see a breakdown of Sofia's exam scores.

"Mom?" Kate held up a finger without breaking away from the sheet of paper. Sofia had nearly aced the police exam, scoring much higher than Kate had. Her little girl had taken the exam without telling her. "Mom?" Kate finally dropped the papers onto the counter and looked directly at Sofia, trying and failing to put on her best interrogation face. Sofia held her gaze perfectly, never once shying away; damn, the girl had a good stare.

"Why didn't you tell me, baby?" Sofia cocked her head.

"You're not… mad?" Kate darted around the counter and pulled Sofia against her chest.

"How could I possibly mad at you? You're following your heart, just like I did. Gram and Papa would be so proud of you."

"What about you?" Sofia wrapped her arms around Kate's waist and looked up at her.

"If you use what you have to do good in the world, then whatever you do, wherever you go, I will always love you and I will always, _always_ be proud of you." Sofia let out a heavy sigh and slumped against her. "I just wish you had told me you were prepping for it." Sofia jerked upright. "I would have helped you study." Sofia grinned. "When do you start?"

"Right after graduation. I'm assigned to the 14th, so I can keep my apartment with Tyler. Don't tell Dad, okay? I have to be the one to tell him."

"Tell me what?" The door slammed and Rick appeared followed closely by Torie. "Hi, 'Fia." He kissed her forehead, before dropping the plastic bags in his hands on the counter and kissing Kate. "Hi, Kate." He turned back to Sofia. "What do you want to tell me, sweetheart?" Sofia glanced to Kate, who shrugged.

"It can wait until after dinner," Sofia declared quickly. "Hey, Tor." Her sister had been oddly quiet throughout the exchange between their parents. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Torie answered. "Just thinking about… things. You?"

"Just… thinking." Kate shook her head; both of them were hiding from each other, something they had never done. Rick pulled the food containers out of the bag, handing them to each of the girls.

"So, Torie, tell Mom and 'Fia your exciting news." he asked after they all sat down, positively vibrating with anticipation. Torie stared down at her carton, and Kate could see her chewing on her bottom lip.

"Tor," Sofia added. "Do you have something you wish to share with the group?"

"So, a couple weeks ago, Professor Kuperberg got me an audition for a show," Torie began.

"That's great, T!" Kate answered. "What's the part?"

"I'm actually understudying for… I can't believe this." Torie chuckled and shook her head. "I'm understudying for Elphaba in _Wicked_." Kate's jaw fell open and every thought she may have been thinking evaporated without a trace. "Joe Mantello cast me in _Wicked_, Mom."

"Are you serious, Tor?" Sofia asked, and Torie nodded. "Oh my god! That's fantastic!" The two girls were up immediately, and Torie was enveloped in Sofia's arms and swinging around the room. "My sister is a Broadway actress!" Sofia chanted over and over again.

"Rick," Kate exhaled, "Rick, she did it." Rick nodded. "Our little girl is going to be on Broadway." She stood and wrapped her arms around the twins. "I'm so proud of both of you."

"Both of them?" Rick asked, and the three women separated to stare at him. Kate nudged Sofia with her hip.

"Show him the letter, 'Fia." Sofia grabbed the letter from the counter, and turned it over in her hands.

"Before you say anything, Dad, I've wanted to do this for as long as I can remember. I promise I've done my research, and I'm ready," she told Rick before handing over the letter. Rick slid the paper out of the envelope, and dropped his container of chicken on the table. He looked up at Sofia, who was staring right back at him, no emotions whatsoever revealed on her face.

"When?"

"I took the exam in April. I just got the results back. I start after graduation."

"What?" Torie stepped behind Rick and rested her head on his shoulder. "Police Academy? 'Fia, you're going to be a cop?" Sofia nodded and Rick stood, never once breaking eye contact with her. The twins were both tall, and Sofia was able to look her father eye-to-eye. Kate felt a swell of pride tighten her chest; she knew Sofia was a fighter. She was long, lean and fast, and she would make a damn fine cop. Maybe she'd even make it to Homicide someday, following in Kate's footsteps.

"Sofia Rose Castle," Rick exhaled, "will you defend the city of New York to the best of your ability?"

"Yes, sir."

"What if you never make it past patrol?"

"Then I will be the best patrol cop this city has ever seen," Sofia answered without missing a beat.

"Why do you want to become a police officer?"

"After hearing stories from Mom all my life, I know that this is something that I need to do. I believe in my heart of hearts that I was called to join the force and to defend and protect the citizens of New York City. I want to become the very best person I could possibly be, and I want to look back on my life knowing that I did something that made a difference." After a few seconds of pure silence in the loft, Rick nodded and pulled Sofia into his arms. "You're not angry, Dad?"

"Why would I ever be mad at you, baby girl? You just gave me excellent reasons behind why you want to become a cop, you've clearly done your research, and I know you can do it." Kate sat down heavily in her chair and picked up her wine glass, her husband and daughters imitating her.

"A toast: to following your dreams." They clinked their glasses together and dug into the rest of the meal.

X

Despite having performed in a dozen shows throughout her four years at NYU, Torie was utterly terrified for her first performance as a lead on Broadway. Everything she had done for the last nine years of her life had been devoted to, one day, making it to that point. It had all lead to one night, one night when she would run onstage and, somehow, someway, receive thunderous applause from a full house.

Somehow, she had managed to pick a drama professor who was personal friends with Joe freaking Mantello, the director of _Wicked_. The same professor recommended Torie, a soon-to-be graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, to Mr. Mantello for a part in the ensemble of _Wicked. _Torie, utterly dumbstruck, had shown up to the audition, recited a monologue and belted the bejesus out of "Defying Gravity," the climatic final song of _Wicked_'s first act. For some strange reason, Mantello and his partners had liked her, called her back and eventually cast her as the next Elphaba understudy.

Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be, the Elphaba she was understudying for had had a "family emergency," as Mantello had put it, six months after Torie had been cast, requiring her to take a year off from the show; thus Torie found herself, at twenty-two years old, standing stage left in a black dress and full green makeup, heart pounding so hard that she was utterly positive that the audience would be able to hear it.

_Holy crap. Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. _

The second the orchestra started up, the thunderous chords roaring through the theater, Torie felt her heart swell with pride. This was it; there would be no going back. The show must go on.

Just like she suspected, the second she appeared onstage, the entire audience let loose a roar of approval, and Torie took it all in, reveling in the stares and the cheers.

"What? What are you looking at? Oh, do I have something in my teeth? Okay, let's get this over with. No, I'm not seasick, yes, I've always been green, no, I didn't chew grass as a child." Torie couldn't see anything past the beams of the stagelights, but she could hear raucous laughter. When she screamed for Madame Morrible to let go of her "sister," the audience let out a predictable gasp as the wheelchair spun around. When she and Elizabeth, the thirty-year-old playing Galinda and one of Torie's closest friends, pranced through the land of Oz, she could have sworn she heard Dad's howl of laughter above the rest of the audience.

"Elphie? C'mon we'll be late for Wiz-O-Mania," Elizabeth demanded, reaching her hand upstage for Torie to grab.

"I want to remember this moment, always. Nobody's pointing, nobody's staring, for the first time, I'm somewhere that I belong," Torie declared, sweeping a hand out toward the audience. Elizabeth grabbed the hand Torie wasn't gesturing with and squeezed tightly.

"Elphie, you look positively… emerald." Torie could feel tears in her eyes and tried to gulp them back, smiling like a goon at Elizabeth. The line was completely true; Torie was finally somewhere she fit perfectly and she would never forget it.

X

Kate had never thought she would be part of the cheering audience that whooped and clapped the second her daughter ran onstage (the fact that Torie was painted completely green, was a bonus). She couldn't have been more proud of the woman that loud little girl had become. The second Torie opened her mouth, and delivered her lines, Kate was grinning like an idiot. And that voice, how the hell did she get that voice? Martha certainly didn't sing with that much oomph, and Kate and Rick could both sing, but the voice Torie was belting out into the audience was awe-inspiring. Torie developed perfect pitch sometime in her childhood, and Kate knew it had been a huge reason why she had gotten cast without professional experience.

Both of her girls had turned into exceptional young women, and she couldn't yet figure out how she had gotten lucky. As Torie rose into the air at the end of the first act (oh my god, how is that _safe?_), Kate heard Sofia and Rick cheering louder than she had ever heard them at any Yankee game. When the lights went black, and the giant map of Oz descended over the stage, Kate wiped away the tears clinging to her eyelashes.

"Kate? You okay?" Rick wove his fingers between hers and squeezed her hand gently. Kate nodded.

"We raised two extraordinary girls, Rick. How in the hell did I get lucky enough to have two fantastic girls and an amazing husband? It's Torie's opening night, 'Fia just started working… everything's perfect." She kissed Rick's cheek. "Thank you."

"Why thank me? I should be thanking you. You have all the good genes." Kate laughed as The orchestra music started up and the lights dimmed. "But right now, we should be watching Torie." He ran a hand across her cheek and kissed her with the gentleness of a man who had been married for nearly thirty years. "I love you, I have always loved you, and I will always love you and our fantastic, amazing, extraordinary girls."

**The End**


End file.
